TAMPA/INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, June 24, 2020) – The USL Championship announced on Wednesday an updated format for the remainder of the 2020 season that will see clubs divided into eight groups to complete a 16-game regular season followed by a single-elimination playoff.
In addition to the information below, details on scheduling, ticketing options, broadcasts and more will be made available in the coming days, all with strict alignment with all local and state public health guidelines in mind. For more updates on the 2020 season as they are made available, please continue to visit https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/indyeleven and uslchampionship.com.
Regular Season Structure
In order to limit travel, the regular season will see the Championship’s clubs divided into eight regionalized groups, and each team will complete a 16-game regular season. There will be five groups made up of four teams, and three groups made up of five teams to cover the 35 member clubs of the Championship. The regular season games will be played over 13 weeks, starting with the provisional launch date of July 11 and concluding on the weekend of October 2-4.
The USL Championship will unveil the members of each of the eight groups on its digital channels across Thursday and Friday; visit www.uslchampionship.com for more details.
Games completed prior to the season suspension in March will be counted and included in the schedule, with teams that were active on the opening weekend of the season having 15 games remaining in their schedule. Thus, Indy Eleven will indeed get to keep the three points earned from its season-opening 4-2 win at Memphis 901 FC back on March 7.
Balance of Schedule
Each team’s schedule will be made up of 12 games from within its own group, with the remaining four games to be played against teams that fall within a similar geographic region. Through this, each team placed in a four-team group will play its three fellow group members four times, while each team placed in a five-team group will play its four fellow group members three times.
Games played prior to the suspension of the season will count toward the allotment of 16 overall games, either as in-group contests or as one of the additional four contests that will complete the schedule.
Teams will be initially scheduled to play a balanced schedule of eight games home and away in the regular season. However, the Board of Governors has also approved the ability for clubs to play an unbalanced amount of home and away matches, if necessary (for example, if a club is experiencing difficulties with venue availability due to the impact of COVID-19 in their community).
Having begun its season on the road, this means Indy Eleven is set to host a minimum of eight contests at Lucas Oil Stadium during regular season play. Indiana’s Team is indeed seeking opportunities to host additional regular season games, with the final result of those efforts to be known once the USL Championship releases the full season schedule in the coming days.
Five Substitution Rule
As was previously announced, the Championship will allow five substitutes to be used for the remainder of the 2020 season, with each team having three opportunities to make its substitutions during regular play. Substitutions may also be made at halftime without counting against a club’s three in-game opportunities.
2020 USL Championship Playoffs Structure
The top two teams from each group in the regular season will advance to the 2020 USL Championship Playoffs, producing a field of 16 teams overall in a regionalized single-elimination bracket. Group winners will be paired with Group runners-up in the Round of 16, with home advantage being determined by record for the remainder of the bracket.
TAMPA/INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, June 24, 2020) – The USL Championship announced on Wednesday an updated format for the remainder of the 2020 season that will see clubs divided into eight groups to complete a 16-game regular season followed by a single-elimination playoff.
In addition to the information below, details on scheduling, ticketing options, broadcasts and more will be made available in the coming days, all with strict alignment with all local and state public health guidelines in mind. For more updates on the 2020 season as they are made available, please continue to visit https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/indyeleven and uslchampionship.com.
Regular Season Structure
In order to limit travel, the regular season will see the Championship’s clubs divided into eight regionalized groups, and each team will complete a 16-game regular season. There will be five groups made up of four teams, and three groups made up of five teams to cover the 35 member clubs of the Championship. The regular season games will be played over 13 weeks, starting with the provisional launch date of July 11 and concluding on the weekend of October 2-4.
The USL Championship will unveil the members of each of the eight groups on its digital channels across Thursday and Friday; visit www.uslchampionship.com for more details.
Games completed prior to the season suspension in March will be counted and included in the schedule, with teams that were active on the opening weekend of the season having 15 games remaining in their schedule. Thus, Indy Eleven will indeed get to keep the three points earned from its season-opening 4-2 win at Memphis 901 FC back on March 7.
Balance of Schedule
Each team’s schedule will be made up of 12 games from within its own group, with the remaining four games to be played against teams that fall within a similar geographic region. Through this, each team placed in a four-team group will play its three fellow group members four times, while each team placed in a five-team group will play its four fellow group members three times.
Games played prior to the suspension of the season will count toward the allotment of 16 overall games, either as in-group contests or as one of the additional four contests that will complete the schedule.
Teams will be initially scheduled to play a balanced schedule of eight games home and away in the regular season. However, the Board of Governors has also approved the ability for clubs to play an unbalanced amount of home and away matches, if necessary (for example, if a club is experiencing difficulties with venue availability due to the impact of COVID-19 in their community).
Having begun its season on the road, this means Indy Eleven is set to host a minimum of eight contests at Lucas Oil Stadium during regular season play. Indiana’s Team is indeed seeking opportunities to host additional regular season games, with the final result of those efforts to be known once the USL Championship releases the full season schedule in the coming days.
Five Substitution Rule
As was previously announced, the Championship will allow five substitutes to be used for the remainder of the 2020 season, with each team having three opportunities to make its substitutions during regular play. Substitutions may also be made at halftime without counting against a club’s three in-game opportunities.
2020 USL Championship Playoffs Structure
The top two teams from each group in the regular season will advance to the 2020 USL Championship Playoffs, producing a field of 16 teams overall in a regionalized single-elimination bracket. Group winners will be paired with Group runners-up in the Round of 16, with home advantage being determined by record for the remainder of the bracket.
